George R.R. Martin Will Kill You for Charity

Two lucky Game of Thrones fans have secured the ultimate fan experience: having series author George R.R. Martin write them into his next book, where they will meet a grisly demise.

How did they land such an honor? Crowd-funding, of course. And it only cost them $20,000 each.

Martin is currently soliciting funds on Prizeo to support the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and The Food Depot of Santa Fe, two non-profit organizations. The campaign topped its $200,000 goal today, and is currently just shy of $215,000 with 59 days left to go.

The two bidders - one female and one male - who ponied up $20,000 each will "get the incredibly exclusive opportunity to have George name a character after you in a future A Song of Ice and Fire novel," according to the description. "You can choose your character's station in the world (lordling, knight, peasant, whore, lady, maester, septon, anything) and you will certainly meet a grisly death! You will also get all of the above rewards (with the exception of 'extra rewards.')"

And while the character names have been snapped up, there are still other opportunities for Game of Thrones superfans. At the time of this article's writing, you can still donate $15,000 to have breakfast with Martin (and one of your friends!) at one of three separate events in either San Diego, London, or New York City. A $7,500 donation will get you an "old greek sailor cap" that Martin has worn.

Unfortunately, tickets to the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones ($7,500) are gone, as is the signed Game of Thronesscript from the show's very first episode, signed by the cast and crew ($4,500). Other prizes include a handwritten thank-you note from Martin for a $1,200 donation, a signed copy of the Game of Thrones cookbook for $600, and an especially neat signed map of Westeros for $350 (among others).

Of course, there's always the grand prize. "If you make a small donation to my campaign, you will automatically be entered to win an incredible experience. You and a friend will be flown out (from wherever you are in the world) to meet me in Santa Fé, where we'll share a helicopter ride to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary," Martin wrote.

"In addition to touring the Sanctuary together, we'll also have plenty of time to discuss the show, A Song of Ice and Fire, direwolves - and if there's anything you have ever wanted to ask me, here's your chance!"

Perhaps, if you ask nicely, Martin might even be persuaded to not kill off your favorite characters in the Game of Thrones book he's currently working on.

David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he has since rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors.
His rise to (self-described) fame in the world of tech journalism began during his stint as an associate editor at Maximum PC, where his love of cardboard-based PC construction and meetings put him in...
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